Jayce the Space Knight - the 1985 animated series

December 7 2020

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Jayce the space rider (visual Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, fr. Jayce et les Conquérants de la lumière) is a French-Canadian animated TV series that first aired on TF1 on September 9, 1985 on the Salut les p'tits loups! block, and finally on September 16, 1985 in the United States. The program was produced by DIC Audiovisuel (originally syndicated by SFM Entertainment) and animated by Japanese animation studios Sunrise, Shaft, Studio Giants, Studio Look and Swan Production. The show, which ran for 65 thirty-minute episodes, was made to support Mattel's Wheeled Warriors toy line. The show had an ongoing storyline that was left unresolved, with no series finale.

The show featured two dueling forces. The heroes are humans called the Lightning League who drive white and silver vehicles with assorted weapons led by a teenager named Jayce. Villains are plant-based organic creatures called Monster Minds who travel through large organic green vines, which can grow in and through interstellar space, and sprout seeds that quickly grow into further Monster Minds. They are led by the first of the Monster Minds, Saw Boss

History

The series follows protagonists Jayce, Flora, Herc Stormsailor, Oon and Gillian in their search for Jayce's father, Audric. Meanwhile, they are opposing main antagonist Saw Boss and his followers, the Monster Minds. Audric was a botanist who experimented with biotechnology, an experiment creating Flora. In another experiment, Audric attempted to create a plant that could prevent starvation. But when he did, a nearby star exploded in a supernova. The radiation from the supernova explosion changed the plant and four others in the Monster Minds: a race of plant-like monsters wishing to conquer the universe. Audric created a root that could destroy the Monster Minds, but was forced to flee before he could complete the task, after which the Monster Minds made Audric's laboratory their headquarters. Audric kept half of the root and gave the other half to his servant, the Eternal Squire Oon, who he sent to serve Jayce. Jayce and his friends are then in search of Audric and form the complete root

Production and transmission

Most of the episodes were written by French writers Jean Chalopin and Haskell Barkin. DIC writers also included Larry DiTillio, Barbara Hambly, and J. Michael Straczynski. Straczynski wrote about a quarter of the episodes trying, in his words, to "hijack a stupid concept and turn it into something more". Haim Saban and Shuki vy provided the music for the show. Almost a decade later, it ran on USA Network's USA Cartoon Express block from July 3, 1994 to August 25, 1995.

In the UK, the series first screened in some regions on the ITV network on a Sunday morning slot in 1985, but with not all regional franchises having Sunday morning service at the time, it was moved to Channel 4 where it first aired nationally in 1986. The series was subsequently repeated frequently on Sky Channel between 1989 and 1993. [8]: 179, 198–199 It later gained renewed popularity in the United Kingdom when it was repeated intermittently on Friday. and Saturday nights on the children's television networks Fox Kids and Jetix, between 2001 and 2009.

No backstory was provided with the toys for the Lightning League and Monster Minds fighting, so DIC and Straczynski created distinct characters to allow for a structured story.

Characters

Lightning League

Jayce - Hero; bearer of the Legendary Ring of Light and half of the Magical Root.

Audric - Jayce's father and Oon's original teacher; creator of the Magic Root (of which he carries the other half), of the Monster Minds, of Flora and of the first vehicles of the Lightning League.

Gillian - A magician, mentor of Jayce and Flora; the co-creator of Flora and the creator of all five Lightning League vehicles; implied it was centuries old.

Flora - A flower created and developed into a humanoid by Gillian and Audric; it has telepathic powers with which it can perceive the minds of monsters and can communicate with animals and plants.

Oh - Oon is an eternal squire, created by Squiresmith Wixland. Oon originally served Audric, but has since been appointed to Jayce.

Herc Stormsailor - A mercenary who is the proud owner and pilot of the space barge The Pride Of The Skies II. He had a close relationship with the pirate queen Morgana and it is implied that he was once a member of the Pirates Guild. He was once an intergalactic commando before he resigned. It was largely modeled on Han Solo.

Brock - Flora's flying fish mount, which "talks" with chirps and whistles.

The Zoggies - A trio of robotic canines. They seem to have a liking for Oon, who is almost always chased by them.

Jal Gorda - Anthropomorphic alien spy who serves as a recurring guest character throughout the series. He was saved by Audric from a Monster Mind invasion of his village and has remained loyal to him ever since

Monster Minds

Saw Boss - The leader of the minds of monsters. It was spawned from the same plant that Audric intended to end hunger.

Gun Grinner - Sub-boss of the Monster Minds, supervise the Gun Trooper clones.

Terror tank - Sub-boss of the Monster Minds, supervise the Terror Trooper clones.

KO Kruiser - Sub-boss of the Monster Minds, supervise the KO Trooper clones.

Beast Walker Commander - Sub-boss of the Monster Minds, supervise the Beast Walker clones.

Saw Trooper Commander - The only one besides Saw Boss who can take a humanoid form. Smaller in stature than Saw Boss and notable for the stripes on the chest and the absence of a cape.

Dr. Zorg - a scientist who works with Saw Boss.

The vehicles of the Lightning League

Each Lightning League vehicle can be driven by League members. They can also operate on preprogrammed, driverless battle plans via commands given on Jayce's communicator. When he talks to the vehicles, they respond with a single sentence, "Command acknowledged".

Gillian's First Lightning League AI Ground Vehicles:

Armed Forces - Armed Force is a vehicle with a large golden arm mounted above it. Gillian had intended it for Audric, but gave it to Jayce instead, when Audric was unable to join the League. It can accommodate two, unlike its toy counterpart. Armed Force's toy counterpart included a gimmick dubbed “Stack n 'Attack”. Any other smaller vehicle could detach the frame with the wheels and attach it to the top of the Armed Force. (A promotional comic in He-Man magazine showed two vehicles stacked on top of Armed Force, although this was physically impossible to use toys, as only Armed Force featured two aligned holes suitable for the underside of another vehicle to attach to.) This never happens in the show; instead, the phrase “stack n 'attack” refers to the fact that Lightning League vehicles are able to swap weapons during battle. The pilots are Jayce and Oon, although in “Xiang's Vase”, Flora and Brock guide him as they try to save Jayce.

drill sergeant - Drill Sergeant is a two-seat vehicle with a drill for tunneling. It is also equipped with two pop-out guns in the front of the cabin. He is led through the opening sequence by Flora.

quickdraw - Quickdraw is a vehicle with a gun hidden in a shield on top of the vehicle and an extended arm in the front with a spiked wheel for digging. He has a seat, Gillian leads him in the opening sequence, but he doesn't have a regular driver in the series.

Spike Trikes - Spike Trike is a three-wheeled vehicle built for speed. Resembling a half-track dune buggy, it has a pair of creaking cogwheels at the front that lift on one arm. Herc leads him in the opening sequence, and is also his favorite vehicle throughout the series.

Trailblazer - Trailblazer is a large four-legged robotic vehicle with a front ram, capable of carrying the smallest vehicles. It usually hosts one, but is occasionally seen with unused seating for four. Trailblazer is stronger and more durable than other vehicles, but has been used far less often for reasons never revealed (unlike the waste of resources that served as an excuse for larger soldiers of lesser-used vehicles than the Monster Minds). The Trailblazer is depicted on a much larger scale with the other vehicles than its toy counterparts. While the toy version of the Trailblazer could carry a single smaller vehicle on its back, the cartoon counterpart could carry four of the smaller vehicles inside its body, via a platform that lowers from its underside, each member of the Lightning. League can pilot the Trailblazer.

Battle Base - Battle Base is a mobile fortress that houses all other vehicles and is usually attached to the Pride as its bridge. The main weapon is a large elevating turret. Battle Base, like Trailblazer, is of a much larger relative scale in animation than in its toy form. The Battle Base toy had three garages that could each hold a single smaller vehicle, and its control deck could accommodate two. In the series, not only could the Battle Base hold all the smaller vehicles, the Trailblazer was able to enter it as well. The deck was a rather large full room; just like Trailblazer, any member of the Lightning League can also pilot the Battle Base.

The AI 2nd Lightning League ground vehicles created by Gillian:

Flingshot - Flingshot is a vehicle equipped with a catapult, built in “The Stallions of Sandeen”. A toy was designed, but never produced.

Spray Gunner - Spray Gunner is a vehicle with a cannon that sprays various fluids, which was added later in the series, but does not have an introductory episode. The toy has not reached the production stage.

The Motor Module - Motor Module is a low-bed vehicle with a powerful drive system, often used to repair other vehicles in the field or to transport loads in a dockable trailer. It was added later in the series, but it doesn't have an introductory episode. The toy has not reached the production stage, but was designed to be motorized and could “Stack n 'Attack” as Armed Force could (the toy version of the gimmick remained unused in the cartoon).

Lightning League AI Aircraft and Spacecraft:

The Pride Of The Skies II - Also known as “The Pride” for short, it is the space barge owned by Herc Stormsailor and home to the Lightning League for the entire series.

The Space Scooter - A small compressed air bicycle.

The Emergency Cruiser - The shuttle rarely used by Pride

Monster Minds vehicles

Generally, Monster Mind battles are performed by clones of the main Monster Minds who have grown from vines. Saw Boss is able to telepathically communicate with these clones. These clones are referred to as "troops"; Saw Trooper, Terror Trooper, KO Soldier, etc. The monsters' true minds change from their humanoid forms into vehicles when they leave their headquarters, although they are significantly larger and more powerful than their mass-produced clones.

The land legions of the first mind of monsters:

Saw Troopers - A vehicle with a large circular saw on a rotating stem.

Gun Troopers - A vehicle with a bunch of cannons clenched in its teeth. The primary weapon is a multi-headed spiked flail mounted on the upper body.

Troops of terror - A tank-like vehicle with a large body-mounted Venus flytrap-like mouth.

KO Soldiers - A truck-like vehicle with a large shank similar to a wrecking ball. The front grille and headlights look like an angry face.

Beast Walkers - A large four-legged vehicle with a front-mounted claw weapon that is the powerhouse of an army of Monster Mind clones. They were rarely used, due to the increased energy required to spawn. Like the Trailblazers, they look a lot like the AT-ATs from Star Wars.

The terrestrial legions of the second Monster Minds

flap jacks - A van-like vehicle with a catapult; they were designed, but not produced in the toy line.

Lurchers - A vehicle with a front ram; again, not produced in the toy line.

snapdragons - A smaller four-legged walking vehicle with front-mounted "petals" that opened like a flower to expose a laser cannon.

Battle Stations - Monster Minds' response to Battle Base, it was not produced in the toy line. It was only used in one episode as it required huge amounts of energy to generate itself.

Monster Minds' air and space legions

Cruisers - A bigger Monster Mind spaceship.
Scouts / Satellites - A smaller Monster Mind spaceship.

Drill Vines - A small rocket with a drilling cone, containing a cluster of Monster Mind vines, which was used to penetrate targets and release a growth of vines.

Pods - A plant-like insertion craft launched by cruisers or scouts, when Drill Vines were not required.

Space fighters - A small Monster Mind starfighter, used much less commonly than Scouts.

The Monster Minds network of legions

Expansion Vines - A large creeper used to infest a planet and spawn Monster Mind Troopers, also sometimes used to connect planets across open space.

Spore vines - Not as large as Expansion Vines, used to deploy bioweapons in the form of gas.

Receptacles - A block-like plant that is used to form a teleportation point for Saw Boss's headquarters (originally Audric's laboratory).

Brains - A small plant mass with a single central eye, used for communication by Monster Mind agents of other races.

Episodes

1. Escape from the garden
2. The vase of Xiang
3. The helmet of Valroth
4. Silver Crusaders
5. The ghost ship
6. Flora, Fauna and Monster Minds
7. Volcano among the glaciers
8. Space outlaws
9. Beyond the future
10. Underwater
11. World of ice
12. The black hole
13. The violet book
14. Hook, line and leads
15. The blood stone
16. The slaves of Adelbaren
17. The hunt
18. The siege
19. The Sleeping Princess
20. Deadly reunion
21. The kingdom of heaven
22. Research in the shadows
23. Unexpected Troubles
24. Prize hunters
25. Double pitfall
26. At the edge of the world
27. Space thief
28. Moon magic
29. Deal of honor
30. Flower of condemnation
31. The Sandeen Stallions
32. Brain Trust
33. Lightning strikes twice
34. The stone of freedom
35. The mutant plants
36. The Warp Wizard
37. Heart of Paxtar
38. The defeat of the sorcerer
39. What happens?
40. The song of darkness
41. The Swamp Witch
42. Deadly Reflexes
43. A question of conscience
44. First warning
45. The ship of life
46. The manufacturers of mirages
47. The monster of the night
48. The world of dreams
49. The sons of Solarus
50. The gardener
51. Armada
52. Sharpis bells
53. Gambling
54. Common commitment
55. The circus planet
56. The lady of the soul tree
57. Eater of life
58. Desert
59. The oracle
60. Short circuit, long wait
61. Journey into the past
62. The source
63.Raid
64. The awakening of the dragon
65. The last race

Technical data

Gender Science fiction / animation
Developed by J. Michael Straczynski
Voices of Darrin Baker, Len Carlson, Luba Goy, Charles Jolliffe, Valerie Politis, Dan Hennessey, Giulio Kukurugya
Narrated by Ernie Anderson
Music Shuki Levy, Haim Saban
country of origin France, Canada
Original languages French English
No. of seasons 1
Number of episodes 65
Executive producer Jean Chalopin
Duration 22 min.
Production company DIC Audiovisual, ICC TV Productions, Ltd.
Distributor SFM Entertainment
Original network TF1 (France), Syndication (United States)
Date 1 TV September 9, 1985 - April 27, 1986

Italian network OdeonTV
1st Italian TV 1986
Italian episodes. 65 (complete)
Episode duration. Italians 25 min
Italian dubbing studio. Videodelta
Double Dir. it. Mario Brusa

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/